1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for simulation of an automated industrial plant, where the industrial plant is simulated in a plant model and the plant model is divided into a number of submodels, the submodels are modeled in this case with a behavior description which comprises a calculation algorithm or a mathematical equation, each submodel is connected in accordance with the simulation of the industrial plant into the plant model with at least one other submodel, and where, in preparation for the simulation, the plant model or the submodels are translated by a translation run into a form that is executable by a computer system on which the simulation will be executed, in this case an execution sequence of the submodels is additionally defined.
The invention further relates to a simulation arrangement for simulation of an automated industrial plant, comprising a computer system with simulation software, a library with a plurality of submodels, a component editor for creating a plant model for an industrial plant, where the industrial plant is able to be simulated via a linkage of the submodels to the plant model, and where the submodels have a calculation algorithm or a mathematical equation, with a translator which is configured to place the plant model, via a translation, into a form which is executable by the computer program with the simulation software for the simulation, with a scheduler means, which is configured, in accordance with the linkage of the submodels, to define an execution sequence for the submodels.
In the sense of the invention, real time or real time-capability means that a simulated unit of time (time slice) corresponds in its duration to a scanning time of an automation device. Accordingly, real time operation is understood as the operation of the computer system in which programs for processing data that arises are always ready for operation and indeed are ready such that the processing results are available within a predetermined period of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Simulation models with real time capabilities are preferably used, for example, in an Operator Training System (OTS) or in systems for virtual commissioning (VIBM) in the process industry environment.
A simulation method and a simulation arrangement are known from the Siemens user manual “SIMIT SCE”, issue dated July 2009, SIMIT-HB-SCE-2009-07. In this known simulation model plant, models are created for the simulator and are executed, for example, over a longer period of time. With a simulation of the plant models over a longer period of time, it can happen that run time violations occur, i.e., run times of the models take longer than a predetermined simulation cycle, which in its turn corresponds to a real period of time.